Protective device for use in warfare



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m9. QEES, BANK PROTECTIQN 1 AND RELATED DEVECES'Q Jum 9, 1925. 1,540,988

A! W. HENSEL PROTECTIVE DEVICE FOR USE IN WARFARE Filed April 16, 1925 i n '5. er

mun 1 tttlnni )1 ta s Patented June 9, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATET AUGUST WILLIAM HENSEL, 0F FRANKSVILLE, WISCONSIN.

PROTECTIVE DEVICE FOR USE IN WARFARE.

Application filed April 16, 1923. Serial No. 632,548.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUST lVILLIAM HENSEL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Franksville, in the county of Racine and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Protective Devices for Use in lVarfare, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a protective device for use in warfare, and more particularly to a protective device especially adapted) to greatly minimize if not entirely destroy the effectiveness of aerial bomb attacks. Accordingly, the invention consists in its broadest aspects of a netting or protective structure adapted to be stretched across and arranged to overlie the object to be protected, the netting being yieldably supported by novel means which permit the netting to yield at the moment of impact, the shock of impact between the netting and the bomb being thus absorbed and cushioned whereby the tendency of the bomb to explode will be diminished but in any event even if exploded the shock and damaging effects usually incident to such explosions will be minimized if not entirely destroyed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention reside in certain novel features of the construction, combination and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View, illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention; and

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view, partly in elevation and partly in vertical. elevation showing the preferred form of yieldable supporting means for the netting or protective structure.

Referring to the drawings wherein for the sake of illustration is shown the preferred embodiment of the invention the numeral 10 designates the netting or protective structure which may consist of wire mesh or of any other fabric or material sufficiently strong to withstand or resist the penetrative power of aerial bombs or the like. Preferably the netting is carried by a rectangular frame 11. A plurality of depending and vertically arranged rods 12 are carried by the frame 11, and the upper ends of the rods are braced to the frame, as at 13. These rods each coact with a yieldable supporting unit designated generally at 15 so as to yieldably support the netting Each yieldable supporting unit includes a cylinder 16 of suitable construction and preferably containing confined air" or other fluid or liquid. A rod 12 extends into each cylinder 16 and the end of the rod within the cylinder carries a piston head 17 having suitable packing 18 icoalcting with the inner wall of the cylinder. Preferably each rod 12 is keyed, as at 19, to the upper head 20 with the cylinder with which it is associated so as to preclude relative rotary movement between the rods and the cylinders. If desired suitable packing means, such as a stuffing box or gland, may be provided between each rod 12 and the cylinder head with which it is associated or such packing means may be omitted according to the preference of the person using the device and the conditions under which it is used.

Each cylinder 16 has secured thereto, as at 21, a vertical guide bar 22 provided at) its upper end with a guide 23 which embraces the adjacent rod 12 and constrains this rod to vertical reciprocal movement.

The cylinders 15 are maintained in proper! spaced relation with respect to each other by framing 25 extending between and se cured to all of the cylinders 16. With the construction thus described, when a bomb strikes the netting 10 the netting will yieldingly resist the impact since the rods 12 which support the netting will be moved downwardly in. the cylinders 15. This movement of the rods is resisted by the action of the confined fluid in the cylinder 16 which is compressed by the action of the piston 17 carried at the lower ends of the rods 12. Moreover as the downward movement of the rod progresses the resistance increases so that the resistance which the net work 10 presents to the impact of the bomb gradually increases. Of course when the heads 17 of the piston rods 12 strike the lower ends of the cylinders the further downward movement of the rods 12 and consequently of the netting 10 is positively prevented. The resilient or yielding action thus provided is preferably supplemented by means of spring bars 30 which are seioning unit 15 and at their outer ends, as at 33, to the rod 12 of the adjacent cushioning unit. Each spring bar 30 is bowed intermediate its ends as at 32. The spring bars 32 also resiliently resist downward movement of the rods 12 and consequently the downward movement of the netting or protective structure 12. p

With the construction thus described, the netting 10 does not have to withstand the full penetrative power of the aerial bomb, since the reaction of the netting 10 to the force of impact of the bomb, striking"net-' ting downward, thus forcing rod with piston head down in cylinder, thus resisting the downward movement of the netting, oppos ing resiliently the force of the aerial bomb;

In this manner the aerial bomb will b e held on the netting, or explode on the netting, and its eflectiveness destroyed.

Iclaim: j i

1. In a protective device for use in war fare, a framework carrying a netting adapted to be spread above and across'tlie objects to be protected, and means for yieldingly supporting the fran'ie-work including a plurality of rods depending from {the frame-work carrying the netting and" connected thereto, a cylinder receiving the lower end of each rod, and a piston head'car'ried by the lower end of eachrod andiop'erating withinthe cylinder aga-inst resistance of the fluid confinedtherein; s 2. In a protective device for use in war; fare, a framework carrying a netting adapted to be spread above and across; the objects to be protected,:1neans forsyieldingly supporting the frame-work including a plurality of rods depending from the name. work and connected thereto, a cylinder 'receiving the lower end of each rod, a piston head carried by the lower end of'each rod and operating within the cylinder'ag'ainst resistance of the fluid confined therein, and, a guide for each rod.

3. In a protective device for use in warfare, a framework carrying a netting adapted to be spread above and across the objects to be protected, means for'yieldingly supporting the frame-work including a plurality of rods depending from the frame-work and connected thereto, a cylinder receiving the lower end of each rod, a piston head carried by the lower end of each rod and operating within the cylinder against resistance of the fluid confined therein, and a spring bar connected with the cylinders and the rods for supplementing the action of the cylinders and rods.

4. In a protective device for use in warfare, a framework carrying a netting arranged to overlie the objects to be protected, a framework carrying a netting, a plurality of rods depending from the framework, a cylinder for each rod,'the lower end of each rod being operatively received in its cylinder, piston head connected to the lower end of each rod and operating in each rod, the cylinder being adapted to contain confined-fluid presenting resistance to the movement therein.

5.111 a protective device for use in warfare,-a netting arranged to overlie the objects to be protected, a framework carrying the netting, a'plurality of rods depending from the framework, a cylinder for each rod, the lower -end of each rod being operatively received-in its cylinder, a piston head connected to the lower end of each rod and operating in each cylinder, the cylinder being adaptedto contain confined fluid presenting resistance to the movement therein, and spring means coaeting with the rods and cylinders" for supplementing the action thereof.

6.' In a protective device for use in warfare, a-netting arranged to overlie the objectsmto be protected, a framework carryingca netting, a plurality-of rods depending from the framework, a cylinder for each rod, the lower end of each rod being operative'ly received in its cylinder, a piston head connected to the lower end of each rod and operating in each cylinder, the cylinder being adapted to contain confined fluid presenting resistance to the movement therein, and spring means coacting with the rods and cylinders for supplementing the action thereof, and a framing for maintaining the cylinders in proper relation.

AUGUST IVILLIAM HENSEL. 

